[Marixyz]

I am so glad I found this website. I definitely need a place to go to talk. My dad, age 74, was diagnosed with MDS right after Labor Day 2006. Prior to that, my dad was a very young 74, hard to keep up with - always on the go, gardening, fishing, hunting, buying & selling small machinery, and very hard to get to stay put. He enjoys life to the fullest, but lately, this isn't the same dad. The doctor put him on a variety of medications, and he is getting Vidaza chemotherapy treatments of 7 days per month. We saw his doctor on Friday, and the first two treatments haven't shown any progress. He will undergo another two sessions before other options are considered. My question: are there other options? What the heck is going on? I want my dad to be feisty and outright obnoxious again!!! I want the crazy old Italian father with the home-made wine, the funny jokes, and the loud sound of his voice - not this meek little man who sits around waiting to die. Nobody really says if this disease is fatal - if he will indeed ever feel better - and the whole thing is scaring me half out of my wits. I think about my dad all the time, I call him so much, I'm probably more of a pest than anything. I worry and have bad dreams that my mother is left alone and life without my dad is unimagineable. How do you go from 75 MPH to 5 MPH in such a short time span and with almost no notification? What is going on? Is there a possibility the Vidaza will work? He can't go on through life barely able to walk up the stairs without being left breathless. Can anybody, somebody please help me - let me know what's going on? The doctor said I shouldn't worry about him dying, but he sure doesn't appear to be doing much living these days. My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversay last May and my brother and I went all out to throw them a magnificent bash. My dad had the best time and was so enthusiastic and excited while we were in the planning stages of the party. I want to see that enthusiasm again. Can anybody out there offer me any information, sound advice, what can we do to help him and what can he do to help himself? He seems depressed and feeling hopeless. I think maybe a more positive frame of mind might help, or something to distract him from dwelling on the sickness. It's hard for someone who hasn't been sick and enjoyed a lifetime of fantastic health to suddenly be lethargic and listless like he is. I need someone to help me figure this out. I'm not prepared for my youthful 74 year old dad to suddenly seem like a 90 year old frail little guy.... I'm sorry for sounding so desparate and scared, but I really am. Thank you for reading and for any help you can offer. ~ Mary